An Undergraduate Group Research Project: Large Scale Mapping of the Structure and Kinematics of Filaments and Cores in Nearby Molecular Clouds

本科生小组研究项目：附近分子云中细丝和核心的结构和运动学的大规模绘图

• 批准号: 2205474
• 负责人: Yancy Shirley
• 金额: $ 41.03万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2205474&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Undergraduate; Group; Research; Project; Large

Astronomers have known since the 1960s that molecular clouds are the star forming "engines" of galaxies, but because of their complexity, we still lack a complete understanding of how they evolve to eventually form small, dense clumps and then stars. This is especially true for larger molecular structures called "filaments", which are dominated by dense but starless gas clumps. The PI will lead a team of undergraduate researchers to conduct the first large-scale mapping study of the internal structure, physical conditions, and gas motions for two nearby molecular clouds utilizing a variety of molecular line transitions to trace gas at intermediate to high densities with sufficient angular resolution to probe filaments and the embedded dense cores where stars should eventually form. This award will result in a valuable legacy dataset for the astronomical community and simultaneously provide a unique group-learning research experience for a large and diverse group of undergraduates, as well as engaging the public through lectures and star parties.The team will use the Arizona Radio Observatory 12m telescope (ARO 12m) to map the Taurus and Aquila Rift molecular clouds from multi-parsec filamentary scales down to sub-0.1 parsec core scales. Since there is no single tracer that can simultaneously probe these various scales and physical conditions, observations of a complementary set of line transitions capable of probing intermediate to high gas densities (HCN, H13CN, CS, SO, NH2D, c-C3H2 and CH3OH) will be used to constrain the co-evolution of molecular filaments and cores. A key intellectual merit of this award is in providing a legacy dataset to the community for studies of intermediate and high-density molecular gas in two large, nearby molecular clouds that will address fundamental questions about how mass flows within molecular clouds and help constrain the most important physical processes controlling them. The molecular gas properties revealed by these resolved observations will impact our understanding of unresolved extragalactic studies of star formation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

自 20 世纪 60 年代以来，天文学家就知道分子云是星系中恒星形成的“引擎”，但由于它们的复杂性，我们仍然缺乏对它们如何演化最终形成小而致密的团块，然后形成恒星的完整了解。对于称为“细丝”的较大分子结构尤其如此，这些结构由致密但无星的气体团块主导。首席研究员将带领一个本科生研究团队对两个附近分子云的内部结构、物理条件和气体运动进行首次大规模测绘研究，利用各种分子谱线跃迁来追踪中密度到高密度的气体足够的角分辨率来探测细丝和恒星最终形成的嵌入致密核心。该奖项将为天文学界带来宝贵的遗产数据集，同时为大量多样化的本科生提供独特的小组学习研究经验，并通过讲座和明星派对吸引公众。该团队将使用亚利桑那州射电天文台 12m 望远镜 (ARO 12m) 用于绘制金牛座和天鹰座裂谷分子云的地图，从多秒差距丝状尺度到亚 0.1 秒差距核心尺度。由于没有单一示踪剂可以同时探测这些不同的尺度和物理条件，因此观察一组互补的线跃迁能够探测中等到高气体密度（HCN、H13CN、CS、SO、NH2D、c-C3H2 和 CH3OH）将用于约束分子丝和核心的共同进化。该奖项的一个关键智力优点是为社区提供了一个遗留数据集，用于研究两个大型附近分子云中的中密度和高密度分子气体，这将解决有关分子云内质量如何流动的基本问题，并有助于约束最控制它们的重要物理过程。这些已解决的观测结果揭示的分子气体特性将影响我们对尚未解决的河外恒星形成研究的理解。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

3D radiative transfer modelling and virial analysis of starless cores in the B10 region of the Taurus molecular cloud

金牛座分子云 B10 区域无星核心的 3D 辐射传输建模和维里分析

• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad827
• 发表时间: 2023-03
• 期刊: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Scibelli, Samantha;Shirley, Yancy;Schmiedeke, Anika;Svoboda, Brian;Singh, Ayushi;Lilly, James;Caselli, Paola
• 通讯作者: Caselli, Paola